Speaking About Caregiving And More

April 16, 2013

First came You’d Better Not Die or I’ll Kill You: A Caregiver’s Survival Guide to Keeping You in Good Health. Now comes its sequel….sort of. I’m not actually writing another book on the subject, but I’ve just partnered with the premier speakers bureau on healthcare to travel around the country and talk about caregiving.

Speakers on Healthcare has the absolute best roster of speakers – from celebrities like actress Meredith Baxter and broadcaster Anderson Cooper to health gurus like Dr. Oz and Deepak Chopra to prestigious journalists like Jane Gross and Jane Brody. Now I’ve joined this stellar list with my own page on the SOH site. I’m really eager to get started and speak to groups everywhere and spread the word that caregiving, while demanding, also has its rewards – if we make sure to take care of ourselves.

Comments

An article of some potential interest to you was published locally today. Written by Jennifer Agiesta and Lauran Neerguard of the AP, it states (in part) the following:
“We’re in denial: Americans underestimate their chances of needing long-term care as they get older — and are taking few steps to get ready.
“A new poll examined how people 40 and over are preparing for this difficult and often pricey reality of aging and found 2/3 say they’ve done little to no planning.
“In fact, 30% would rather not think about geting older at all. Only 1/4 predict it’s very likely that they’ll personally need help getting around or caring for themselves during their senior years, according to the poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
“That’s a surprise considering the poll found more than half of the 40-plus crowd already have been caregivers for an impaired relative or friend — seeing from the other side the kind of assistance they, too, are likely to need later on.
“I didn’t think I was old. I still don’t think I’m old,” explained retired schoolteacher Malinda Bowman, 60, of Laura, Ohio.
“Bowman has been a caregiver twice, first for her grandmother. Then after her father died in 2006, Bowman moved in with her mother, caring for her until her death in January. Yet Bowman has made few plans for herself….The poll found most people expect family to step up if they need long-term care — even though 60% haven’t talked with loved ones about the possibility and how they’d like it to work.”

If interested in more detail, check the Washington Examiner at http://www.washingtonexaminer.com today, or perhaps this story is available elsewhere since it’s AP. And perhaps then, you already know about it. But perhaps you don’t.

Dear Martha, thanks for your comment. I don’t speak Spanish, but I asked someone to translate for me and it sounds like the book would be great for you. Unfortunately, it’s not available in a Spanish language edition yet. I’m hoping a Spanish publisher will acquire the rights, but it hasn’t happened yet. If there’s any way you can buy the book in English – at Amazon or one of the other online sellers – maybe someone can translate it for you. Best wishes, Jane